By Mario Osava
MANAUS, Brazil, Mar 5 2025 – Electricity is essential for the well-being and prosperity of traditional riverside communities in the Amazon, as demonstrated by the experience of the Santa Helena do Inglês community, located on the right bank of the Negro River in northern Brazil.

Energy security is equally crucial. In 2012, the 30 local families benefited from the “Light for All” program, a government initiative that installs cables and poles to bring electricity to poor and isolated communities across the country.

However, traversing hundreds of kilometers of Amazonian forests poses constant risks. Falling trees, harsh weather, and lightning have frequently left riverside residents without power.

For Lucilene Ferreira de Oliveira, a 39-year-old mother of eight and a cook at the Vista Rio Negro Inn who also prepares snacks and ready-made meals at home, being without electricity for three, four, or five days is devastating. It means no fresh or frozen food, no internet, and the inability to meet other basic needs.

The solution was to supplement the grid power with a solar plant consisting of 132 photovoltaic panels and 54 lithium batteries. This project, driven by the non-governmental Amazon Sustainable Foundation (FAS), chose Santa Helena as a model for other isolated riverside communities.

Reliable electricity has enabled the promotion of ecotourism, favoured by the region’s lush natural beauty and its proximity to the Anavilhanas Archipelago, a national park with stunning views, and Manaus, the capital of Amazonas State, home to 2.2 million people and a hub for business and tourism.

The Vista Rio Negro Inn, with its eight rooms, is a community-based enterprise that employs six local women for cooking and other tasks, divided into two teams that alternate every four days. It is managed by Keith-Ivan Oliveira, and has a communications assistant, 16-year-old Elizabeth Ferreira da Silva, who is also a distance-learning student.

Reliable electricity has enabled the promotion of ecotourism, favoured by the region’s lush natural beauty and its proximity to the Anavilhanas Archipelago, a national park with stunning views, and Manaus, the capital of Amazonas State, home to 2.2 million people and a hub for business and tourism
Electricity has made internet access possible, enabling virtual classes. Students no longer need to travel to Manaus, which is only accessible by boat. A fast boat takes 90 minutes to cover the 64-kilometer distance. “Now they only need to go to Manaus to take exams,” Oliveira celebrated.

Before ecotourism, commercial fishing was the primary source of income. To support this, the government designated the area encompassing Santa Helena and 18 other riverside communities as the Negro River Sustainable Development Reserve (RDS) in 2008, covering 103,086 hectares.

The RDS is a conservation area that allows traditional residents, such as Amazonian riverside communities, to sustainably utilize natural resources.

The establishment of the reserve granted exclusive fishing rights to the local residents in the adjacent stretch of the Negro River, which had previously been subject to exploitative practices by fishing companies. Now, nearly all local families own boats with a cargo capacity of up to five tons, except for one with an 18-ton capacity.

However, fishing is only permitted during specific months for each species to avoid disrupting reproduction and fish availability.

The RDS emerged from a movement by riverside residents to secure their rights as traditional communities after 11 locals were imprisoned for illegal logging. A lengthy negotiation process with the Amazonas State authorities led to the creation of the conservation area with controlled extractive activities.

Communities can harvest timber but must adhere to approved forest management practices and limits.

An ice factory, in its final stages of construction, is expected to boost the productivity and income of Santa Helena’s fishing activities. It will have a daily production capacity of three tons and will make the community independent of ice suppliers from Manaus.

A newly installed solar plant with 84 photovoltaic panels will provide the necessary electricity for ice production.

In addition to cost issues, riverside residents often lost fish due to ice shortages or delays in obtaining it. With the factory, ice will no longer be a limiting factor for fishing and will instead generate income for the entire community, while also creating five permanent jobs and the potential to assist neighboring communities.

“The river is life, but it doesn’t work without energy” says Nelson Brito de Mendonça, president of the Santa Helena community.

However, the river – or rather, its waters – also dictates the lives of the riverside residents. A severe drought over two consecutive years devastated fishing and forced the inn to suspend operations between August and December 2024.

The river, which usually reaches the doors of the inn, receded hundreds of meters until the waters gradually began to return to their normal levels late last year, thanks to the arrival of rains. What has yet to return are the tourists, but the residents hope they will come back soon.

The two solar plants are part of a program by the Amazon Sustainable Foundation (FAS), which aims to consolidate and promote sustainable development models for Amazonian riverside communities.

Another example is a community in the municipality of Carauari, a seven-day boat journey from Manaus, where an 80-panel solar plant is being used to boost the production of oils from native Amazonian fruits, such as andiroba (Carapa guianensis) and murumuru (Astrocaryum murumuru).